What made Belgian-Australian multi-instrumentalist Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” such a hit was how different it sounds.

In a time of utter musical conformity, when all songs are sounding alike, it is arrestingly stark and emotional.

But at Gotye’s concert Friday at the Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, many of the 12 songs sounded startlingly familiar, even though they were dramatically different from each other.

Gotye is bringing ‘70s back.

Gotye is file photo

His 70-minute show, moved from Philadelphia’s Theatre of Living Arts because of ticket demand (there likely was 2,000 people there) not only was steeped in the decade, it was a virtual survey of its sounds, incorporating pop, psychedelic rock, reggae, new wave, Motown and –especially – disco .

That’s not really a criticism. The bigger part of the show offered what was best about the ‘70s – the varied styles and the freshness of the different sounds.

For example, the opening “Eyes Wide Open,” very sonic and beat-heavy, was followed by the psychedelic rock of “The Only Way,” echo-y with multiple layers of percussion (three drummers at once); and the moody, dramatic “Easy Way Out,” with its soaring guitar.

Gotye even used the ‘70s gimmick of projecting abstract images behind him to add to the mind-expansion mood. And strobe lights were used on the darkened stage during “Smoke and Mirrors.”

The crowd, too, apparently was recapturing the ‘70s – the smell of pot was evident.

Reggae and disco followed, with “State of the Art” (a really ironic title) and “Don’t Worry We’ll Be Watching You” offering the former, and “Thanks for Your Time” the latter. That last song was almost entirely samples, even some of the voices.

Again, none of it was bad. And “Don’t Worry We’ll Be Watching You” even sounded important. The only unsettling element was that, with the crowd’s average age decidedly post-‘70s, they acted as if any of it was new – whooping and cheering him along as if it was groundbreaking instead of merely good.

And some of the disco elements started to stir memories of how soul-less and manufactured that whole era became – one of the worst in musical history. It was heartening to see people actually dancing, though.

The show got decidedly better when Gotye played “Somebody That I Used to Know” two-thirds of the way through the show, though not everything about that song was great, either. Gotye sang in a slight whisper – the crowd was as loud as he was. And that showed that the song’s placement in the set was odd, too.

Bar far his biggest hit, especially in the United States, it clearly was what the crowd most wanted to hear, and they cheered him though it. But instead of highlighting it or making it the encore, it was shoved in the middle of his set.

Luckily, opening act Kimbra, who sings the record’s female part, saved the song, coming on stage in a black sequined party dress and passionately and positively belting out her part. [More about her later].

But that song certainly marked a turning point. The following song, “Save Me,” was perhaps the shows best. Gotye sang it with far more fervor and feeling, his voice sounding very much like Sting, and the music much like late 1970s [OK, 1980] U2. And the music was real, too – not manufactured. He had the crowd sing the “Yeah yeah/Yeah Yo” chorus, and when he told them, “you guys sounded great,” it was true.

“Hearts a Mess” was symphonic, with a slow jazz grove, and “Bronte,” which closed the main part of the show, was unsettlingly quiet, with him singing in a high, whispery voice.

The encore was, again, totally different music. “In the Light” was ‘70s poppy fun – and very good. Even the percussion was better. And “I Feel Better” was ‘70s Motown, even with faux horns. But it also was very good – among the shows best – and Gotye’s voice surprisingly soulful.

He closed with “Learnalilgivinanlovin,” a Wall of Sound Motown song that sounded like the Four Tops, with lots of drumming and programmed horns.

It was about as far from “Somebody That I Used to Know” as you could get, but it, too, was different from that soulless music so pervasive today.

Kimbra’s 40-minute, nine-song set was anything but conformity.

It was quirky and funky – in a lot of ways like Nicki Minaj, only a lot more musically interesting and complicated, and the singer a lot more talented.

The New Zealander, who was backed by a four-man band that produced a very full, big-band sound and who was dressed in a short, frilly blue party dress, danced frantically for much of the set .

Her voice ranged from child-like chirpy on the opening “Cameo Lover” to jerky and weird on “Limbo” and creeping toward Bjork territory on “Old Flame.” But she also sang more traditionally on “Two Way Street” (though it, too, occasionally soared off into sonic weirdness) and “Settle Down.”

The best of her set was “Samaritan,” during which she danced with absolute abandon to very funky rhythms.

Kimbra just has that something that makes it impossible to take your eyes off her. The audience apparently thought so too, heartily cheering her.

With her album coming out in May, look for her to shoot up the charts the way Gotye has.

JOHN J. MOSER has been around long enough to have seen the original Ramones in a small club in New Jersey, U2 from the fourth row of a theater and Bob Dylan's born-again tours. But he also has the number for All-American Rejects' Nick Wheeler on his cell phone, wrote the first story ever done on Jack's Mannequin and hung out in Wiz Khalifa's hotel room.

OTHER CONTRIBUTORS

JODI DUCKETT: As The Morning Call's assistant features editor responsible for entertainment, she spends a lot of time surveying the music landscape and sizing up the Valley's festivals and club scene. She's no expert, but enjoys it all — especially artists who resonated in her younger years, such as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Tracy Chapman, Santana and Joni Mitchell.

KATHY LAUER-WILLIAMS enjoys all types of music, from roots rock and folk to classical and opera. Music has been a constant backdrop to her life since she first sat on the steps listening to her mother’s Broadway LPs when she was 2. Since becoming a mother herself, she has become well-versed on the growing genre of kindie rock and, with her son in tow, can boast she has seen a majority of the current kid’s performers from Dan Zanes to They Might Be Giants.

STEPHANIE SIGAFOOS: A Jersey native raised in Northeast PA, she was reared in a house littered with 8-tracks, 45s and cassette tapes of The Beatles, Elvis, Meatloaf and Billy Joel. She also grew up on the sounds of Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw and can be found traversing the countryside in search of the sounds of a steel guitar. A fan of today's 'new country,' she digs mainstream/country-pop crossovers like Lady Antebellum and Sugarland and other artists that illustrate the genre's diversity.